London Isn't Where You Belong
by Forensic Kitteh
Summary: Travers is accepted into a program in the UK, but Maxine doesn't accept his offer to go with him. M/M, slight E/C and R/N. Slight AU. Rated T


**WOOOHOOO! I've been planning to post this fic since June! Or July! :D**

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The bar was filled with laughter from random jokes. The surrounding people didn't realize that a bunch of tipsy CSIs were more fun than a barrel of monkeys.

"That's what BP said..." Mike randomly entered, hoping that he didn't slip. There was an awkward silence before another eruption of laughter.

"Have you been using the iGoogle slang app?" Allison laughed, still fighting with Natalia over the Baby Names Book.

"ALLY!" Natalia roared into her ear. "Since you're not the one pregnant, give it to me!" Natalia snapped and when Allison let go, Natalia fell back into her chair.

"So, was it of the iGoogle app?" Allison asked. "And Natalia, Calleigh would have been very helpful here." She said, but Natalia huffed with her back facing the table. "HERMIT!" Allison called out and faced Mike. The commotion made him confused and he wasn't able to answer Allison's question. Before he opened his mouth, Maxine answered for him.

"Yes, yes he has." Maxine smiled, lightly nudging him in the rib. Everyone laughed, including the "hermit", expect for Mike himself.

"Maxi, could I talk to you?" Travers asked, taking Maxine's hand. "In private."

Maxine flashed her friends a look that read "I'll be back in a second" and walked off into a quiet corner of the bar.

"Maxi, remember me telling you that I wanted to get my masters in chemistry?" Michael asked, as he and Maxine stood rather secluded in a corner.

"Yeah…" Maxine nodded cautiously.

"And remember me sending off applications to several universities back in the UK?" He asked. Maxine nodded once again. "Well I was accepted to one of the programs and-" He was about to finish his sentence but Maxine beat him to it.

"You accepted?" Maxine hissed. "But if you accepted that means…y- you have to move. You're leaving me." Maxine's smile disappeared and it was replaced with a face of despair.

"I'm-" He sighed. "Yeah, I'm going back to the UK." He admitted.

"So you're breaking up with me." Maxine's lips pressed themselves into a thin line. Digging her nails into her palms she tried the best not to cry.

"Well…" He said. "I'm not exactly…" Michael sighed. "…breaking up with you. I- I want you to go to the UK with me." Mike said.

Maxine blinked. "What?" She whispered. Alright. So he wasn't breaking up with her. But he was giving her an equally crazy option.

"I love you. I never want to leave you. I want you next to me while I'm in the UK." He said, taking both Maxine's hands into his. "Are accepting this offer, pet?" He asked a small smile appearing on his face.

It was an offer she _had _to accept. But she couldn't. And she hated herself for that. "No." She mumbled.

"What?" Mike asked confused.

"No, Mikey, I just can't! It's- I just can't!" Maxine whispered shouted as tears flowed down her cheeks. "It's stupid, it's so stupid that I hate myself for telling you no, but no." She said as she stared into his blue green eyes.

Michael stared at her seeing how she fell apart into pieces in front of him. A lump formed in his throat as he clenched his jaw. "I- I value your decision even if you choose not to come with me." He said. "I love you." He said, hugging her.

"I love you, too." Maxine whispered into his ear. Without even kissing him on the cheek she tore away from him and almost ran out the door. The CSIs and friends exchanged glances and shifty eyes. When Michael passed by and without word paid his and Maxine's bill the group exchanged another round of confused glances.

When he left, a few awkward moments before Natalia spoke up. "Maxine looked beat." Natalia said.

"I say that she was on the brink of bursting into tears." Allison said, doodling with an orange gel pen on a napkin.

Natalia looked over at the guys. Neither of them said anything. "You guys have nothing to say?" Natalia gently prodded them, but not so gently grinded Ryan big toe with her heel.

"Me? No. Now get your goddamn heel off my foot." Ryan said.

"I don't even get why you care about deciphering how their faces looked." Dave said. "It's probably not a big deal."

"What if they broke up?" Allison asked, pushing the pen into her hair.

"Them?" Ryan laughed. "They stick together like they're hexed or Siamese twins." Ryan said.

"I say something happened." Natalia countered.

"Women always say something happened" Ryan said, smirking lightly. "Find any good names?"

"No not yet." Natalia said, dog earing a page in the book and snapped the book closed.

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**WHOA...Did they break up? what's gonna happen to them? **

**R&R plz. ;D**


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